My Top 11 Favorite Books List

I'm looking for book recommendations. I want to know what your all time favorite books are. If you had to make a top 10 list what would they be?

Please share those with me as I'm always looking for greats!

In the meantime enjoy my top 11 favorite book!

1. The Brother’s Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (This was supposed to be a top 10 list but I had to include this book.)

Three adult brothers belonging to a very dysfunctional family find their lives thrown into disarray when the eldest, Dmitry, is charged with the murder of his father despite declaring his innocence. What unfolds is not just a courtroom drama but a much deeper family drama rooted in philosophy, familial rivalries, love and faith. And yet the true bedrock upholding this intriguing story is a rich, multi-layered debate around the importance of religion and the existence of God.

I’m drawn to this book for the strength of its characters, its powerful message of finding hope amid terrible struggle, and the endearing conversations. It’s perhaps the most “character rich” book on this list, although that could be debated.

This was Fyodor Dostoevsky’s final book before he passed away. It’s a much easier read than Crime and Punishment. This is the kind of book you read to remind yourself why reading is so important. This novel changed the way I look at the world for the better, perhaps it will do the same for you.

1. 1776 by Dave McCullough

If you’re looking for an introduction to the American Revolution this is a great place to begin. 1776 takes you through the first crucial 12 months form the moment English parliament declares war on the rebellious colonies to Washington’s risky offensive at Trenton to keep the dying spirit of the Revolution viable. the American Revolution.

McCullough puts you right into the world of the late 18th century and you’re immediately struck by the sheer weight of the crisis emerging. He impresses on you the urgency and the desperation shared among all who fought and died in the Revolution. You remember that there was no guarantee the United States would persist, in fact you read this book and you don’t understand how the Revolution didn’t fizzle out almost immediately. George Washington is presented not as the towering figure we think of today but as the inexperienced yet committed leader of this undisciplined rabble taking on the most powerful military in the world. It’s short and fast paced.

The Revolutionary War lasted for 8 years and year one was probably the most vital of all those years.

1. Hymns of the Republic: The Story of the Final Year of the American Civil War by S.C. Gwynne

As the title demonstrates, S.C. Gwynne’s book captures the final year of the American Civil War. May of 1864 to April of 1865 might be the single most important stretch of time of the entire 4 year conflict. It opens right away with President Lincoln ceding absolute control of the Union forces over to Ulysses S. Grant. The terrible war has lasted for 3 years and after humiliation, disaster, and disgraceful defeats the Union finally has some momentum. With the rising star Grant now in charge the outcome of the war looks anything but certain. There is reason for optimism. Lincoln finally has what he’s so badly needed. A tenacious, fighting general who will pound the confederates and put an end to General Robert E. Lee. Instead the war takes a much darker turn. American will discover to their horror that this final year will deliver death and carnage on a scale beyond what the previous 3 years have produced. What’s worse, this coincides with the most important election in American History, the election of 1864.

I love how this book throws you right into the mix. It doesn’t belabor setting the stage. Context is brought to you swiftly and you are thrown right into the final phases of the war. This is another brisk, fast-paced read that carries you through those awful final 12 months. Along the way you are introduced to a myriad of fascinating characters, real people whose major or minor actions contribute to the war’s outcome. From the most revered General to the lowliest soldier, as well as bystanders and civilians who all did incredible things encapsulated in this book.

Gwynne’s most famous book is Empire of the Summer Moon about the rise and fall of the Comanche but I personally liked this better.

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

This entry might seem odd given that I’m a not a woman. But hey, the Bronte sisters wrote classics. The great thing about reading is you get to see the world from a perspective that you wouldn’t have access to in your current form. This book is the closest I’ll get to understanding what it was like being a woman in early 19th century England.

Jane is the eponymous heroine. The novel follows her life from an ill-treated and neglected orphan to a young adult. When she’s 18 she takes up a governess job at Mr. Rochester’s country abode. As a resident she’ll uncover the hidden secrets of the enigmatic yet compelling Mr. Rochester. She’s also determined to find out if the disturbing shrieking that sometimes wakes her up is real or imagined.

I like this book because it lends a unique voice to a very unique woman. Charlotte Bronte had to publish this book anonymously because women weren’t allowed to have their work published at this time.

Jane Eyre as a fascinating character. As an orphan she’s angry, bitter, and resentful toward the adults who mistreat her. But who can blame her? There’s an instance where the 10 year-old Jane unleashes a tirade of insults at her caretaker and its one of my favorite cathartic moments in any book. But as she ages she changes her tune, recognizing that she must shed herself of grudges and anger to find harmony and purpose. This book is full of Christian undertones and the reason why it’s aged so well is because there are key moments where Jane forgives those who did her great harm when most of us never would. If you’ve read the book you know which part I’m referring.

This book is mostly a love story but it’s full of powerful moments and I have never read a book whose author composes such artistic and beautiful sentences as Charlotte. Her prose is perhaps the best I’ve ever read.

1. The Giver by Lois Lowry

This is a short, easy read and it’s aimed more at a youthful audience. However its themes and characters are packed with enough depth that adults can also enjoy the experience.

The Giver is set in a small village where pain, suffering, and all troublesome memories are banished as a result of a government experiment. The people who inhabit this society of solitude only know happiness and pleasure. Sounds great right?

Our hero is a 12 year-old boy named Jonas who’s been chosen to be the lone receiver of memories. One person is in possession of all memories of the human experience (including the negative ones) and it’s his responsibility to pass it down to a chosen member of the next generation. This Man is called the Giver.

When Jonas receives these memories and opens his eyes to the real world. He is troubled to learn that his family and friends are innocent, useless, hopelessly childlike and that without suffering and hardship their lives are void of meaning. The so called paradise science created slowly unveils a darker, more haunting dystopia.

This is one of those rare books where no matter how old you are this will leave a mark. It’s enduring and thoughtful. The characters are very likable. The journey many take is one of beauty but also sadness. The Giver at its core tells a tale of growing up, opening ones eyes to the world. It’s children learning that they must eventually take on the burdens of adulthood and that a life without pain is meaningless.

1. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Let’s transition now to a much longer book. Lonesome Dove is in my opinion one of the finest American novels ever written. It’s a grand historical epic that rivals the likes of War and Peace, The Count of Monte Cristo, David Copperfield.

This marvel is set during the twilight of the American West. The year is roughly 1880 and the age of cowboys and indians is over. Four retired Texas Rangers live simple, yet dull lives in a small town called Lonesome Dove way down in the southern point of Texas. Their exploits made them legends in their heyday but now they’re retirees in a world that’s passed them by. Then one day an old friend visits them with an offer too alluring to build cattle ranches in Montana. No one has settled there yet and if they arrive first they will attain riches beyond their wildest dreams. So the four men embark on a perilous journey covering thousands of miles up the American West to seek their fortune.

What follows is one of the most gripping and harrowing journeys you’ll ever read. But Lonesome Dove receives the bulk of its praise for its incredibly realistic and endearing characters. Everyone in this book feels like a real person from their mannerisms to their little oddities and quirks. You feel the deep connection between these men. Their friendship is built on shared experiences. They are each other’s family, a band of brothers so to speak.

Lonesome Dove has everything from great characters to action, comedy, tragedy, death, heartbreak. The last 50 pages of this book contain some of the most moving and enduring character moments in all of literature.

1. River of Doubt by Candace Millard

This is one of the best non-fiction books I’ve read in years. You may have heard of America’s 25th President Teddy Roosevelt. You may also have heard that he was what you might consider a bad ass. Even if you know that you’ll be stunned to learn the extent to which the former president really was a man full of grit with an iron spirit.

This book documents the incredible journey Teddy undergoes in the Amazon rainforest. He and a team of experts, including his adult son, explore an unmapped tributary that pours into the Amazon River.

Candace phenomenally captures how unbelievably deadly this sojourn was. The Amazon rainforest is listed as among the most dangerous places on the planet. And when you read this book you find out why. What’s even wilder is that very few people in peak condition could participate in such a daunting adventure, yet Teddy Roosevelt was 60 years-old. At one point Teddy becomes so violently ill that the crew is forced must decide whether to abandon the former American President to die.

Intense doesn’t even begin to describe the harrowing mission outlined in this book. River of Doubt is a page turner unlike any other. As you read this you will have a difficult time convincing yourself that anyone did these things, let alone a US President. This book is an action/adventure thriller and a testament to human endurance.

1. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

A classic Charles Dickens novel, A Tale of Two Cities contains the most famous opening and closing paragraphs in all of literature.

We follow a cast of characters with personal and business ties to both London and Paris. As they carry out their business the situation in Paris becomes noticeably bleak. Turmoil and gloom steadily build until The French Revolution is triggered. Dickens does not hold back the brutality and horror that rampages France. Mobs and riots burn and loot everything in sight. People everywhere are arrested and incarcerated. Others are executed without trial. All governing bodies vanish and are usurped by anarchy and terror.

Yet this era of depravity is offset by the good deeds and self-sacrifice demonstrated by the lead cast, all of whom are incredibly likable and must navigate these tremulous roads.

Few authors can paint the pages of a novel with more graceful strokes than Charles Dickens. He immerses you in his work from page one. The first half does include a lot of build up and the pacing can be slow but the second half is where you experience the pay off and it’s more than worth the wait.

There probably isn’t another book out there with a more poignant example of self-sacrifice. Also this book includes one of the great female villains of classic literature.

1. East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Maybe the best American novel ever written. Steinbeck has a closet full of gems but this one is my favorite, and that probably holds true for most people. East of Eden follows multiple generations of two families in the Salinas Valley of California from the end of the Civil War to World War I. The novel shows how the sins of the father haunts the son and how his sins become a burden for his son.

This book is full of layers. There is the literal plot. And then there is everything else happening underneath. East of Eden is rich in metaphor and allegory and symbolism. It’s essentially a retelling of the book of Genesis with a focus on the story of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel.

East of Eden has many great themes exploring good vs. evil. But it takes a unique approach here. Some characters are good but are also weak and useless. Is that actual goodness? Other characters have evil tendencies and they must strive to be good. Free Will is another prominent theme (Timshel.)

There is a tremendous chapter where the main cast hold a fascinating conversation on the significance of the story of Cain and Abel. and similar to A Tale of Two Cities this book also contains one of the most frightening female villains in literature.

1. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Aside from the Bible this might be the most important book ever written. This novel is a pillar upon which western civilization hinges. Crime and Punishment centers around Raskolnikov. A disgruntled 19-year-old living in poverty. He’s brilliant but angry. He’s comparable to the kind of students you see protesting society from the safety of their Ivy League dorm. Raskolnikov hates systemic injustice and he make a difference. He wants to change the world for the better.

There is an old Pawnbroker who lives alone and covets her wealth taking advantage of those who buy from her. Raskolnikov ponders committing a sin, the worst sin. But if it’s in service of the greater good can this terrible act be justified? He murders the pawnbroker so he can distribute the materials she has hoarded to those less fortunate. But after going through the despicable act his intended next step does not go as planned. What happens next is the most psychologically harrowing metamorphosis ever put into words. The book mostly takes place inside Raskolnikov’s mind as he makes sense of what he has just done. Who he has become. He is now a murderer, what does that mean? Amid the burgeoning struggle for his conscience Raskolnikov must know if there is a pathway to redemption, or if his soul is beyond God’s forgiveness.

The power of this book, and why it’s the most disturbing read I’ve come across is that Dostoevsky puts you the reader in Raskolnikov’s shoes. If you or I, or anyone with a conscience were to take someone else’s life we would experience the same psychological spiral, the same thoughts that haunt his mind would haunt ours.

This book is a reminder that violence is never the answer, and that evil can never produce good. A society of virtue and good deeds cannot be borne out of sin. But most importantly, the book impresses on its readers that humanity’s struggle between good and evil is not fought among nations or cities, but in each of us.

When I heard what Luigi Manzione had done to the CEO of United Way I instantly thought of this book. Manzione is Raskolnikov. But what bothered me more was how some in our society reacted to the cold-blooded murder of an innocent man. Some, even people I know, viewed his murder not with disgust, but with a twisted and morbid justification because they don’t like the cost of their health insurance. Those people need to read this book right now.

Before I reveal my number one choice I wanted to drop a list here of honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the cut.

The Pillars of the Earth

Flowers for Algernon

Ender’s Game

Ender’s Shadow

All the King’s Men

The Coming of the Third Reich

The Bible

The Grapes of Wrath

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

To Kill A Mockingbird

1. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

This is my favorite book and I don’t think that will change anytime soon. I love everything about this book. It’s the most entertaining novel and the greatest revenge tale you’ll ever read.

The young, naive Edmond Dantes seems to have it all. But the night before he’s to wed the love of his life he is arrested by French police. He’s falsely charged with conspiracy and is sentenced to waste away in a terrible French prison. Edmond later learns that his 3 closest friends and allies betrayed him out of jealously of his good fortune.

Yet all is not lost. Edmond escapes from prison and embarks on a decades-long journey to plot his desired revenge against the men who wronged him. In the process Edmund discards his old name and takes on a new identity. He discovers a hidden treasure and becomes rich beyond measure. He transforms almost into a godlike being.

I love this book because I always enjoy the classic plot arc of a character losing everything and having to rebuild their life anew. I also love revenge. Edmond Dantes is may favorite fictional character and every time I read this book I get more out of it. It’s very long but there are abridged versions that run to about 450 pages that I’d recommend.

What are your favorite books? Share them in the comments